Casualties of War
by NotascrazyasI
Summary: There has been years of peace on this tiny planet. That is, until the Rebellion reared its ugly head. It was just my luck that when I was sent on a simple 'mission' to kill the man leading that Rebellion I got kidnapped by the Rising Stars. Then, even MORE lucky, I found myself falling in love with that same man. There is an OC in this, BTW. She's important to the story, so yeah.
1. Rising Stars

_**Got this idea a few days ago, and finally finished it. Yay~ Go aliens and their conquering! It's perfect for countries isn't it~**  
_

It was exactly two years after we defeated the resistance that had been the last obstacle to our purification of the tiny planet called Land of Rising Stars. The locals called it year 1202. It was cute, how short their life on this planet was compared to our 31,998 years on our Home planet. The resistance itself was cute. Smaller than any of the planets we'd previously purified. They were easily crushed and the 'People', as they called themselves in their own odd language, gave up and accepted us as their new leaders. Not a single man in the resistance survived.

Everyone thought that that was it. There would be no more trouble from the 'People'. They thought peace had finally fallen. That was our first mistake.

It was hidden from the public, but there had been a few incidents that raised eyebrows until we finally caught one of the bastards responsible. He was interrogated of course. Eventually we got him to talk. He told us where the Rebellion, or 'Rising Stars' as they were known, was hiding and I –being the obvious choice- was dispatched to take out the leader, an Alfred Jones.

Alfred Jones. We didn't have much information on him, except for him being an orphan born before the Purification process. That's why he wasn't in the system. And why he was the perfect leader to something like this. But, I mean, they couldn't be that strong yet, right? We underestimated them.

That was our second mistake.

-Skippy-

The air was thick with moisture. It was harder to breathe than it should have been with this planet's oxygen levels. Like a rag held to my face that I had to breathe through if I wanted to get any air at all. Even when I breathed through my mouth instead of my nostrils, the air reaching my brain still seemed limited. Why anyone would live in such horrid climate was beside me. But, I guess when you're hiding from people like me you would want to go to someplace that we wouldn't go of our own free will.

I would never come here on my vacation days, that's for damn sure. Sure, I guess the scientists would find interest in these ruins. They showed what life had been like for the people before we came. Simple buildings, probably a small city or town. It couldn't have been anything like the one I now took up residence in. It was far bigger than this handful of buildings. This town was what you would call a 'one stoplight town'. And the truth rang from those words, for as I continued to walk through the rubble, a single broken stoplight lay in my path.

I stepped over it gingerly, for fear that I might get electrocuted by the sparking wire protruding from the greenish light. It blinked, drawing my attention, before I continued on my path riddled with obstacles to what appeared to be a simple tunnel underground. When I was briefed for this 'mission' they showed me a map of the subway station. Most likely the 'Rising Stars' were hiding out in one of the abandoned subway cars. It wasn't that bad of a hiding place if you asked me.

I tried to remember the history of the battle that happened here. It wasn't that hard to guess. The fighting started the moment we were seen. The 'People' were the ones to fire first at us. As it was our law, we had already taken our fallen back to their families, but decayed bodies of the 'People' still littered the ground. It was obvious the losing side of the battle and not just from the fact that I stood there today. The damage to the city and the number of bodies on the ground was astronomical. I guess the resistance wasn't as small as I thought.

Just then, a noise made me pull out my sidearm and aim it to my right. My gaze fell upon myself. It was a window to one of the fallen buildings that had miraculously retained its glass. As I looked at my reflection I had to admit, I was pretty handsome. The uniform all of us were supposed to wear fit me well. The king –that git- said I was practically born in uniform. The black of the outfit clashing with my pale skin, the green bringing out my eyes. My eyes. Probably my most dashing feature. They were a brilliant green that even that git of a king admitted were handsome. My blonde hair was shiny and wet from my morning shower, already starting to dry in this ungodly heat. It fell to about shoulder length, like the king ordered everyone to have. Anyone who didn't was sent to jail until they did. The eyebrows,-the ones most of my family had mocked nonstop for years- had been knit together with concern, but I relaxed as I realized nothing was there.

Shaking off the sudden odd feeling I got, I continued on the path to the entrance to the subway station. It was dark and covered with graffiti. As I walked down the stairs, I felt as if I was walking down to Hell. One odd feeling after another. I didn't really know why I even felt this way. It wasn't that deep into the ground, nor was it that dark or hot.

The whole station had lost its power after the fight, so the only light came from the top of the stairs I was descending. After about a hundred feet down, the light disappeared completely as did most of the humidity. I pulled out a flashlight. The light made a click as I turned it on, displaying a circle on the far wall. I blinked a little against the sudden light, before continuing my journey down, down, down.

The first thing I saw was just a shadow cast on the wall. Starting slightly, I pointed the flashlight back at where it had slid across previously. There, slumped up against the wall with a rifle rested against his shoulder, sat the man I had been sent there to kill. His straw colored hair glinted oddly due to light from the cylinder in my grasp. The shadow fell across his face, but I could still tell from the slow rise and fall of his chest that he was asleep. An easy kill.

I raised my government issued sidearm and aimed it at his head. This would be an easy. Simple shot to the head and the threat to our safety would be gone. We could live in peace again. It would be so easy. This idiot had basically just handed himself over to me. This beast that would gladly kill any of my kind just for fun would be gone with one pull of a trigger.

Then why couldn't I pull that trigger?

I focused and started to pull it back with my pointer finger. It moved but just before it was enough to kill, I stopped. I couldn't pull it back any farther. I couldn't shoot this helpless looking man. I just couldn't find the will to do it. Was it because he _was_ so helpless. Because it was so easy?

I opened my mouth to wake him up. If I did wake him up, then it would be a fair fight. I might get hurt, even shot, but in the life or death battle I'd at least be able to shoot him. But, the second after I opened my mouth, pain exploded on the back of my head. Falling forward, I heard shouting before everything went absolutely blank.

_**Yay~ This was a fun idea I got! Heh, I hope it actually works out~**_


	2. Kidnapped

_**This is fun to write actually~ Giggles I must be really messed**_** up~**

My body ached. My head the worst. It didn't help that the surface I was lying on was uneven and hard, it's chilling cold reaching me even through my many layered uniform, Most likely it was stone, but since my eyes were still closed -and I had no intention of opening them just yet- I couldn't really tell if it was true.

The reason for my reluctance to open my eyes was simply exhaustion. My eyelids were so heavy and I didn't have the strength yet to open them. Whatever the hell had hit me over the head had done a number on me. I'd be more than lucky if I didn't get an concussion after that.

After I took in the achiness of my body, the next thing I did was learn everything I could about my current surroundings, as was my training. It was definitely hot where I was, but without the sting of burning sun nor the chocking humidity I had experienced walking through the ghost town. My eyelids were completely dark, hinting that I was out of the sun and somewhere dark. There was a taste of rust on the roof of my mouth that matched the taste of the air I brought into my lungs with each breath. The air wasn't as fresh as it would be like above ground. Kind of stale. Every so often, I could hear a slight fluttering noises and screeches over the sound of my crazed heart. Bats.

All of these things hinted at someplace underground but still, I'd prefer to see such things with my eye. After all, my species relied on sight more than any of the others. Though, we also had more senses than the rest of the planets that we purified. Slowly, I lifted my lids. I was met only by darkness.

-Skippy-

It took exactly fifty-eight seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. In those seconds, fear flowed freely through me, like a river through it's bed. Despite -or maybe because of- all my trips into the darkest reaches of space, I had yet to get over my fear of the dark. A childish fear indeed, but when you've lived as long as I and you've seen what I have -or I guess in this case _haven't- _you would understand the fear. I could still remember my brother's death. It had indeed been in a dark underground place such as this.

Hence my sudden terror.

It was a miracle when my eyes finally adjusted after fervent blinking and heart spasms of terror. The first thing my eyes caught on was the wall. I had been curled up into a ball facing that same stone wall. It was dark and colorless in the near blank darkness. I rolled over on the stone floor -I was right!- to face the opposite wall and my breath caught in my throat. There was that fucking moron. There was Alfred.

Except this time, as I stared at his face, his eyes opened and he blinked lazily over at me. He was in the exact same position as I'd previously seen him at the entrance to the subway. With that same rifle rested against his shoulder. Thanks to the pressing darkness I still couldn't tell what color his eyes were, which for some reason frustrated me. When he spoke, his voice was loud but also oddly kind, "Looks like your awake." A smile lit up his face.

I sat up slowly, so as not to startle the man. He just watched me with that same huge grin. A small groan escaped my preciously tightly pressed lips as I bumped my head a bit against the stone wall. The man sitting across from me placed the gun on his lap just as slowly as I had sat up, the look on his face unreadable. I flinched a little, before whispering. "Why am I alive?"

Before, when I had seen his grin, I had thought it couldn't get any bigger. I was quickly proven wrong. "Well you see, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much-"

Anger boiled in me. "I know that you git!" I snapped at him. After a second of astonished silence from him, I realized my error. _Stay quiet_. I silently coached myself_. __Stay quiet, keep slow. Don't be a threat_. I was treating him like a scared animal and in a way, he and his brethren were. I bit my lip to keep back anymore angry comments before I thought it through. I chose my words carefully. "I mean... why haven't you killed me yet?"

When he spoke next his tone proved that my question had an obvious answer and that I was being stupid for not seeing it just yet. "You can't learn something from a dead man." His tone was right. I should've known the answer to that stupid question. It was so evident it was almost sad. These men would do anything they could to get an edge on us. They might even torture me. But I was sworn to my planet, and wouldn't ever tell them the things they needed

Even with this in mind, I couldn't help but have renewed fear for the man in front of me. He was part of the terrorist group Rising Stars after all. They were delusional bastards that thought they could actually win this battle. A battle they didn't realize had ended two years before. I decided despite the fact that he could easily kill if I angered him, I should voice my thoughts. "I hope you realize you can't win. Even if you kill me, I'll only be replaced."

There was a silence from the man in which I strained my eyes to try to read his expression. It was too dark to see. Then, a hearty laugh filled the small room. "I've never been one to give up just because a Alien bastard told me that he was one of many. 'Cause guess what?" He paused as if waiting for me to actually guess. I didn't. "So am I." As if on cue, angry noises sounded above the pounding of my heart and the damn Rising Star's laugh. Lights flashed from a newly revealed passage, beams of the light slicing through the darkness. The noises slowly got louder until the owners of the noises entered my field of vision. And I entered theirs.

A silence descended upon the group of Rising Stars.

Then, almost as sudden as their silence, chatter erupted from the tight ball of Stars. Some voices rose above the others letting themselves known, while the rest just added to a loud chittering sound.

"Oh wow!" One woman swooned slightly. If I hadn't been so terrified I would've smirked. "Lookit 'em eyes! Like a jewel!"

A man, possibly the first woman's spouse, scoffed. "'im?! What a puny little twerp. I bet even Peter'd 'ave 'im down before he could bat a pretty little eyelash." I tried to hide the anger that his words and his tone brought on. It was harder than one would first think.

"Lookit that pretty uniform. Wonder how he got it in the first place."

"He probably stole it."

"No, his kind don't steal, remember? It's not their 'way'." Laughter echoed from the group at this, as if it were something to actually laugh about. My anger intensified.

This time, I couldn't hold it in. "It is _not_ stolen you-you-" I couldn't think of a bad enough insult in their native tongue so instead switched to my own. Calling them a whole ton of names that would get me kicked out of most places. "I'll have you know," I continued, my anger not dimmed from the verbal assault, "I am the Head Guardian!" Again, I realized my error only a second too late. My pride has been -and always will be- my downfall.

There was a collective gasp, and then the group as a whole took a step back at the exact same time as if that exact movement had been carefully choreographed and timed. Then, the muttering broke out again but I couldn't make out anything but a few words here and there. A few voices laced with worry and fear, most laced with anger, and one just plain curious. This voice rose above all other's.

"What's a Head Guardian doing playing assassin?" It was surely a feminine voice, but younger than the two women that had spoke before. Probably in her early teens. Maybe fourteen? With this in mind, my eyes scanned the crowd. There. A girl that looked about fourteen -hah!- with dirty blonde -almost brown- hair that was a curled mess. I couldn't help but imagine what a horror it must be to try and comb out. She had it in twin pigtails, that were lazily rested on her shoulders. In her hands, just as lazily, she held _my_ Glock22.

I couldn't help but glare at her, despite the gun pointing at me. "I am not 'playing assassin', you twit!" I snapped, again my pride getting the best of me. "I am protecting my government by taking out a threat!" At the time, I truly believed those words.

She just laughed at me. A laugh that was almost as loud as her leader. "It's cute how you think there's a difference." Suddenly, the slight desire to attack her entered me, but I brushed it aside. I'd be killed after I took the first threatening step. I could tell that even though she gripped the gun casually she knew how to use it just as well as the man who still sat on the ground across from me.

"Palmer!" A woman's voice snapped, sounding from the very back of the group. "Dear Lord, girl! I said you weren't allowed to come back here and what do you do the moment I turn my back?! Run off to the one place I told you not to go!" She sounded exasperated, but not as annoyed as she would've if this hadn't been a usual occurrence. The girl grimaced.

"Sorry! Looks like I gotta go! The witch's calling me! Bye bye, bastard~" Then with a witchly cackle of her own, she pushed passed all the Rising Stars. A few of them actually moved out of her way respectfully as if she had some rank among them. And then she was gone leaving me to wonder who the hell she was.

Just as she left, another man pushed his way through. He was as much contrast to the leader of the Rising Stars as I had seen so far. He had short black hair that hung around his face with an official air. His dark brown eyes doubled that feeling. His whole outfit -a white uniform that I had never seen before- tripled it. "Mr. Alfred!" He called out, his voice annoyed but still managing to sound respectful. "I respectfully demand to know why you brought this man to our home!" There was a loud cheer of agreement from the crowd.

_Their home._ I thought, an odd feeling in my gut. _So this was where they live_. If I could only find a way out, then I would be able to lead other Guardians here to 'spray the nest' in a way. I might even get a raise. Or _another _metal of honor. I'd probably get reporters begging for me to be on their shows. But, I was already a hero to my people. I really didn't have to prove myself over and over again... An odd look came to my face as I thought this. _Why am I even thinking like this_? I wondered, a jolt running down my spine. _It's almost as if I'm making plans to stay..._

"Hold on, Kiku. Gosh, don't get your panties in a twist." 'Kiku' looked rather offended at the man's statement, but waited patiently for him to explain bringing me to their haven. "The answers simple." Why did I get a sudden feeling someone was going to deck him? "Because I was tired and didn't want to leave him without a guard. Besides, I couldn't think of a single person who wouldn't kill him they got a moment alone with him."

As I gazed around at all the faces in the crowd, I realized the truth to his words. Just from the looks on their face I could tell every single person in that mob wanted me dead. It was an odd feeling to get so many looks of hatred. I wasn't at all used to it.

Another voice spoke up, but I couldn't see their face. "What about Feli?"

Their leader shook his head. "He wouldn't be able to stop anyone if they wanted to kill 'im." I shivered at how casually he said it.

"What about Palmer?"

In the light from the flashlights, I could see the fond look on the man across from me's face. "She was helping Lizzy again."

Finally, since apparently there was no one else to think of, a grumble of acceptance ran through the group. Then a woman's voice. "I still don't get just why the hell we're keeping that _thing _alive anyway!" I bristled at her words, but at the same time shivered at her tone. So cold and so nonchalant. As I froze from her tone, the anger of the mob warmed.

Another man stepped forward with slicked back blonde hair and watered down blue eyes. "Let's just kill it." He growled out, placing a handgun to my head. My breath caught in my throat and my heart threatened to spring out of my rib cage.

_I'm going to die. _

_**Done! I just love cliffhangers~ They're just too damn fun~ Anyway, yeah. Palmer is a little OC I made up because I can~ Despite her young age, she's basically Alfie's right hand man. Oh! And Palmer is actually her last name, but it's how they refer to her because she hates her real name. This'll all be explained again later in the story, I just didn't want you to think she was like Fem!Canada or something. Yeeeeeeeeeeeah.**_

_**Kiwi \(*0*)/**_


	3. The Whole History Pt1

_**Okay, in this chapter, you will learn EVERYTHING that you ever need to know. How Artie got to this planet, who the hell he really is yada yada yada. But first, Artie's about to die~ Also, Germany's a little OOC in this chapter, but anger makes people do funny things, so please just be patient. I swear to you, there's a perfectly good reason for the way he's acting!**_

The cold metal of the gun pressed against my forehead, sending a jolt of terror down my spine. Even with my end so near, I couldn't help but think about what a mess my head would be at such close range. Not a pretty thought, nor was it comforting in anyway. I could physically sense the mans hatred flowing from the object against my skull. There would be no hesitation. He was doing the same thing I had been assigned to do merely a day before. Eliminate the threat.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I prepared for what would happen, what _had_ to happen in these monsters' eyes. These violent creatures that we had saved their world from. But, perhaps we didn't actually save it. _Not yet_. I reminded myself. They would send more the moment I didn't come back. They would search for me and find these people. They would be exterminated. Our world would be safe.

But I would still be dead.

The man never got the chance to pull the trigger, not before Alfred's loud voice broke through his blood lust. "Ludwig." He said, his voice stern and commanding. The voice of a respected leader and not the fool I had first talked to. "Put the gun away."

Even this change in character wasn't enough to dim this man's yearning for my death. "It's one of _them,_ Alfred." He growled as a reply, his jaw locked tight. It was an effort not to kill me right away.

I didn't open my eyes and just cursed the rebel silently. Why couldn't they just kill me already and get it over with?! What the hell were they waiting for? Didn't they know a Guardian never speaks, even at gunpoint? Frankly, I preferred this ending to one post-torture. So just fucking _do it _already!

"That's why we need to keep him alive, so that we can get more information! Plus, it's the Head Guardian! He has a whole _bunch _of secrets tucked away in that skull you're about to blow a hole through." I cringed at the image it brought. Again, not a pretty one. "So, I would appreciate it if you would trust me and put the gun away."

There was a hiss of anger from the burly man in front of me, but he took a step back and holstered his gun. "If that _thing _does _anything _nothing will keep me from capping it like the dog it is." With that warning in the air, 'Ludwig' stalked out of the small room/tunnel I was cornered in. This left me with nothing but anger.

_How stupid does he think I am?! Does he think I have a death wish or something?! God, and what's that about being a _dog_?! I'm a fucking Head Guardian mother- _I needed to calm down before I started voicing these thoughts. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale...

An annoyed sigh echoed through the group in front of me and there were murmurs of, "Alfred's got this." Or, "He's not _that _stupid." Of course, referring their leader and not me. I was an 'it', despite the fact that I looked exactly like the male of their species. It was actually daunting how similar our species were.

The group filed out slowly, after sending me one last glare, of course. It took all of my self control not to return that glare. I couldn't be a threat in anyway or they would kill me. I did let myself scowl, though, as the last of the light was taken from the room and the leader _hopefully _couldn't see.

"Talk about a major overreaction, huh?"

I jumped at his cheerful voice sounded. Neither of us had spoken for a few minutes and I had just assumed that he had fallen asleep and allowed myself to doze off. The point is I had let my guard down, which wasn't happening again.

I didn't answer the man's question, merely sat up again with that slow hesitance that I had used before. _Not a threat. Not a threat. Not a threat. _I chanted in my mind, as if that would somehow affect the man's opinion of me. I was never much of a religious type, but if I was I might've been praying those same words. I didn't want to die like some war prisoner.

"Aw, not gonna talk to me anymore~" He was mocking me now.

"Go to hell..." I muttered under my breath. But, apparently he heard if his booming laugh was any indication. I cringed from the loud noise. Why was this guy so loud?!

"Couldn't you tell? This _is _hell." His voice was too cheerful for his words. "My whole world was taken over by alien trash and now I'm living in an abandoned subway station struggling just to survive." His voice changed suddenly, laced with a malice that terrified me more than the hatred in his followers' voices. "My brother was taken by you guys, and brainwashed into joining your team of evil-doers."

Despite his malice laced voice and the cold glare I could _feel _directed at me, I couldn't help but snort. "We don't brainwash. Those who join our 'team of evil-doers' as you call us come of their own free will." I really believed it too.

There was a cold laugh, one lacking in all mirth. "You're one ignorant bastard." He murmured, before standing up.

Terror raced through me as he stepped towards me. I crawled back quickly, slamming my head against the wall in the process. But, instead of killing me, he grabbed me by the collar of my uniform and lifted me up to his face. "Do you really think _anyone _of my race would _willingly _join team evil?" It's comments like that that make it hard to take him seriously. "If they _didn't _they'd all be _killed_." Just like me if I kept talking.

Oh wait, that's right. I have a death wish. "Still doesn't seem like he's a very loyal ally. I mean, if he was your brother I'd think he'd be willing to die if it meant not being on 'team evil'."

Pain exploded from my head and spine as I was slammed against the concrete wall. A whimper fell from my lips at the crippling pain. This man was much stronger than I had first thought. "Don't you _dare _talk about Matthew that way! You don't know _anything, _Scourge!" He shouted, spraying my face with saliva. What had he said? 'Scourge?' What the hell did that mean?!

"Oh!" I said suddenly. "You mean, fléaux?"

He dropped me and I crumpled to the ground. Another whimper flew from my lips at even more pain. There was no sympathy for me though. Instead, he pulled out an object from his pocket and held it in front of his lips. "Palmer. I need you here. Now." His voice was authoritative and still held anger. Palmer must've been unnerved by it, if her quick footsteps were any indication.

When she reached the entryway, she saluted in the People's weird way. "I'm here." As if that wasn't obvious.

Turning around to face the girl, he ordered, "Watch over him. I'm going out." With the order in the air, Alfred left the room/dead end. Palmer stared after him, annoyance spiking in her gaze.

"Jeez." She muttered, turning to look over at me. She rolled her eyes. "He coulda at least told Lizzy I had to do something for him. She's gonna be all pissy at me now." She was talking to me just as casually as her leader. Were they both completely insane?! Wasn't I the enemy?! Why were they so chatty?! "How'd you get him so angry anyway?"

I watched as she settled down against the wall across from me. The same exact spot Alfred had sat mere moments ago. Slowly, I picked myself off the ground, cringing a little when I sat against the wall myself. My back ached, though not as much as it would have if it was broken.

When my gaze returned to the girl, she held it. In the dark lighting of the tunnel I could not tell the color of her eyes, but this did not really matter to me too much. It was the intensity in them that unnerved me. With her looking at me like that I felt I had to answer her question. I mean, it wasn't like information on my planet. It was just a question. "I just told him the truth." Hadn't I?

She tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows pulling together slightly. "And what truth is that?"

I shrugged. "Just that anybody who joins our side comes of free will."

Anger flashed across her face, similar to that of her leader;s, but unlike him she managed to laugh it off. "Man, no wonder Alfred got pissed. He doesn't like anyone bad-mouthing Matthew."

Matthew... now why did that name ring a bell? Matthew Jones... Matthew Jones... Nope, I didn't know anyone with that name. Shrugging it off, I replied to the girl. "I wasn't really bad-mouthing. I was just stating my opinion." I told her.

She laughed again. "Do you state your opinion with your own race a lot?" She asked, and even in the dark lighting I could see mischievousness glinting in her eyes.

Shooting her a glare, I said, "Yes...?" What was she getting at?

"Mmm, they must just _love _you." Palmer said, a teasing edge to her voice. I gritted my teeth, but didn't reply to her words.

"How about you?" I asked instead. "Before, everyone seemed to move out of your way like you've got some rank among them." That had made me curious at the time and as long as she was in a chatty mood, why not learn more about my captors?

Palmer stared over at me and was silent for a long moment. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." She finally mused, talking more to herself than me. "I mean, I guess I'm like Alfred's right hand man. His first mate. Whatever. I never really thought of myself as above the rest, then again neither does Alfred." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I just know how to follow orders and make orders of my own if need be."

I watched her face, curious at her words. It appeared she truly meant it. Palmer was indeed a strange girl, I concluded. Speaking of which... "Hey, is 'Palmer' a nickname or something?" I asked her out of pure curiosity and no strategic plot or anything.

The girl grimaced and she lowered her face so that it was completely covered by shadows. "No, it's my last name." She replied, her words sharp with bitterness. "I... don't like my first name so I go by that instead."

Another question based on curiosity. "Why don't you go by your middle name ins-" Oh wait, that's right. The People don't have middle names. "Ah, nevermind." I hesitated before asking. "What's your first name?"

There was a long pause from the girl in front of me. The silence that followed was full of sparks and it felt as though every breath I inhaled was full of gelatin. Not all that pleasant. "Raine."

I blinked. "But that's..."

"Yes, it's one of _your _names." She growled and I imagined her face contorting with anger. She did not offer an explanation, so I decided to break the awkward silence.

"You know, I changed my name too." Raine raised her head to watch me, but made no attempt to speak so I continued on. "Yeah, my -" I gave a little, awkward cough. "Er, my _dad _you could say gave me one of the worst name's he could think of, just because he wasn't sure whether or not I was his real son." I let loose a little sigh, forgetting for once that I was surrounded by enemies that wanted to kill me. "He couldn't do anything to my mother so he made my life a misery to get back at her." An edge of bitterness laced my tone. "Too bad it didn't work. My mother just left him and me to go live on some other planet."

Her voice was quiet for once as she replied. "God, I'm sorry. That's horrible."

I shook myself sternly. "Ha, you sure it's not against some terrorist law to feel bad for one of my kind?" I asked, only half sarcastic.

"If I followed the law, I wouldn't be here right now, now would I?" She wasn't sarcastic at all.

I smiled just a tiny bit. "I guess not..." I whispered, before falling into an almost comfortable silence. Strange how I could actually feel comfortable around this girl while she held my gun and needn't much excuse to use it on me.

I found myself falling back into memories with nothing else to do. I was bombarded with hundreds of different memories but a few were highlighted.

**I was a little kid again, my father spitting in my face. Or yelling. It was the same thing, really. "You ungrateful little shit!" He roared, slapping me hard across the cheek. "You don't know how good you have it and neither did that _whore_!"**

**"Don't talk about Mom like that!" I yelled back, glaring furiously at the man in front of me. Nothing got my blood boiling more than the way he talked about her. I loved my mom to death, even though she had left me with my father. It didn't mean she deserved to be called _that_. **

**"I can talk about her however I want, because you're too weak to stop me!" He slapped me again and I had to restrain myself from fighting back. It was always a struggle not to, but Mom had always told me that it is better to endure than go into a meaningless fight. That and I probably wouldn't be able to stop myself once I started.**

**"I hate you!" I screamed, running out the door and down the street.**

**This was back when I still lived on the home planet. I was one of the only people who were born on the home planet and chose to leave it, besides the original settlers. Man, I missed the home planet. There was no concrete there nor wood, just glass and a few precious metals also found on the planet I was now trapped on. The buildings were beautiful, but I couldn't focus on that as sprinted down the avenue.**

**As I ran, I startled a flock of pigeons from where they sat. They took flight, leaving only a single white feather in their wake. I sighed, watching them. "I wish I could fly away like you." I whispered to them, following them with my eyes as they soared away from me. "I wish I could just leave this place just like Mom." It was then that I remembered the only thing that kept me grounded here. 'Be strong, my little soldier Believe it or not, your dad needs you. Your king needs you. Your destiny is here, wait for it.' That's what my mother always told me. That was the only thing that kept me here. **

My father was a dick, but as my mother had said I needed to stay there to meet my destiny. It happened during one of the only times my father took me out of the house for anything and was caused by my knack for stating my mind.

**"You better behave, you little brat." My father growled, yanking the tie he had been fixing roughly. I coughed at the sudden lack of oxygen. "I don't want you embarrassing me in front of the entire town."**

**"Yes father." I gasped out, though I wished to say something much different, something that wasn't anywhere near respectful. The hand let go of my tie and allowed me to breathe normally again.**

**My father dragged me out of the house and into the 'car' as the people of this planet would call it, but it really wasn't that. It was impossible to explain to those who couldn't see it. (Read: Author is too lazy to come up with a design.)**

**We reached the town's plaza where everyone had gathered. When I say everyone, I mean everyone within 50 miles of our town. It was so crowded there that you could barely see any space between the people that stood there. What had us gathered around like a flock of sheep? The king was coming to visit us.**

**My dad bustled me out of the 'car' and dragged me by my forearm into the crowd. I stumbled along after him, letting out a wordless protest that was simply ignored by my father. My father was a pushy man and managed to get us near the front, the only good thing about his personality. We stood in front of a stage, positioned at the front of the plaza for things just light this. A hologram suddenly lit up on either side of the stage, showing a face to all those not close enough to see the man striding out onto the stage.**

**The king had long hair just as everyone was ordered to, blonde in color. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were from where I was, but they appeared to be blue if the hologram was any indication. "Hello everyone!" He exclaimed, his voice amplified by some sort of technology made by the company my father worked at.**

**Everyone cheered and screamed for our king. I even added my own voice, cupping my hands around my mouth to be heard above everyone else's. "King Francis! King Francis! King Francis!"**

**His smile appeared to widen. "It's great to see you all! How is my favorite capital doing?" He laughed like this was really funny, but I stopped cheering immediately and scowled. How's it doing? Is he kidding?**

**Everyone cheered again, saying things about how we were doing great and I glanced around at everyone with disbelieving eyes. What were they _talking _about?! Nothing was fine! "Terrible!" I shouted as loud as I could, somehow being heard above everyone else. A silence descended on the crowd as I stood up as tall as possible and continued on. "There's been a series of robberies and lately all you hear about is something bad happening to someone! There's even been a few murders! The crime rate has doubled and you haven't done anything about it!"**

**My father's grip on my arm turned to steel, squeezing so hard it hurt. He hissed furiously in my ear. "What the hell do you think you're doing, _boy_?! Shut your mouth!"**

**I just turned my gaze to him, rebellious feelings rising up in me for the first time. "No." I said simply. "I will not become a sheep in a crowd that blindly follows someone!"**

**_Slap_. My cheek stung and my ears rang so that I didn't hear the the gasp that rose up from the crowd. The shouts of protest I did hear. All of the crowd yelling was at my father for hitting me. People talked so loud and so fast that most did not hear what the king ordered his guards, but I did. "Take him away. Bring the boy to me."  
**

**Terror washed through me. Had I done something wrong? Why was I being singled out?! An instinct to run filled me, but I just stood where I was as I watched the Guardians ask my father to follow them. I expected him to shout, I expected him to tell them to fuck off. But he didn't. He just followed the Guardians to the side.**

**"Hello, kid." A voice said, bringing my gaze to the right. There stood a tall red-haired Guardian. I took in his suit and noticed that it was much more elaborate than rest of the Guardians. He knelt down in front of me and locked me in a green-eyed stare. "What's your name, kid?" He had a much different accent then those of us in the capital, but I couldn't quite tell what it was.**

**It was then that I remembered he had asked for my name. "A-ah, my name's Armel." I tried not to grimace as I said it, but I could tell from his face that he saw that I was not happy about the name.**

**He gave me a little smile and a wink. "How about we call you Arthur instead? It's a common name near where I come from." ****I blinked before grinning and nodding. He smiled at me again and said, "Well, I'm Scott. Now, come with me, alright?" He held out his hand to me.**

**I hesitated, staring down at his hand. My gaze twisted over to my dad who was talking to the Guardians. He would probably be angry when he got back. With a shock, I realized that for once I didn't care. I grabbed the man's hand and let him lead me to the front of the stage. The crowd parted for us and I felt a few hands brush against my cheek where my dad had hit me. I could tell already it was starting to bruise.**

**Once on the stage with everyone's eyes on me I turned a bright pink. Fighting with the urge to hide behind Scott, I stood as tall and straight as I could. My gaze swept to the right where the king was and I'm sure my cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. He wasn't smiling anymore and appeared to be upset. Worry swept through me. Had I done something wrong when I shouted out loud?**

**But then the king smiled and beckoned me forward. Well, he was smiling so he couldn't be angry at me, right? I stepped forward and suddenly remembered to bow. I did so and when I straightened up the king's smile had just grown larger. "Bonjour, fils." He said to me.**

**"Hello, your highness." I replied feeling oddly shy. I had never really been that shy even with people I didn't know.**

**"I have an offer to make." He said, getting down business right away. "There's a spare room in my house that's been need of some filling for a while and I sure could use a strong-willed boy with me. So, would you like to come live with me?"**

**In all honesty, I was completely frozen in shock. Live... with the king? Was that even legal?! What did the king -the _king_- want with a lowly boy like me anyway?! I couldn't speak and just stared at the blonde in front of me.**

**The king pursed his lips at my silence, before kneeling -actually _kneeling_- in front of me. He patted my head in a comforting gesture. "You know, if you come live with me you never have to go back to your father."**

**My eyes widened, before snapping to look over at my father, still being talked to by the Guardians. Never see him again? Was this guy purposely playing with my wildest dreams? A few deep breaths later and I came to a decision. "Yes." **

Less than a day later, after I was completely moved into the king's house, I was called into the throne room.

**Men lined the walls, watching me as I entered the room. Not only were there Normals-the men that lived to the east of the borderlines- standing against the wall but also a few attente Guardians -the men that lived to the west of the borderlines that had yet to be trained into a Guardian lifestyle****. Never before had I actually seen any in the same room. I noticed that most of the attente were sending me angry looks as I walked by. I bit back an angry comment. 'Don't they notice that I'm actually a attente too?!' I wondered sourly as I walked up to the throne.**

**Bringing my gaze back to Francis's, I bowed low. "Bonjour, your majesty." I murmured, struggling with a polite tone. The men on the walls ruffled me more than I cared to admit.**

**The king must've noticed my discomfort caused by the watchful stares on my back, for his next words were, "Just ignore them. Though, had they not insisted so, er... _strongly y_ou would not have to worry." There was a hint of bitterness to his words that confused me. If he wanted them gone, couldn't he just snap his fingers and be done with it?**

**I decided to focus on a more pressing question and follow his wishes to ignore the prickling stares. Or at least try to. "Why did you call me here?" I asked, my voice strained. "Is there something that you need?"**

**"Yes actually." The king said, leaning forward on his throne, towards me, and entwining his fingers together as if he were praying. There was a spark in his eyes that I wasn't sure if I should be worried about or excited... "I want you to be my prince." **

**_Mwahaha! Yes, I'm ending there and you don't get the whole history in anyway! But, this is only part one because the whole whole history is way to freaking long! And I want you guys to know I'm not dead in any way! So yeah. _**

**_Questions to be answered next chapter: What exactly are the Normals and the attente? Does Arthur say yes? Is Arthur a prince?! Is Arthur slowly becoming friends with Palmer? If Arthur is a prince, then why is he a Head Guardian? What _is _a Head Guardian?!_**

**_Well, you better wait and see~_**

**_Kiwi\(*0*)/_**


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